THE owner of a fledgling livery operation in Ewhurst has been given the go-ahead to live on site and build a sand school.

Judith Bryett’s plans for the former Firethorn Farm – now Marwood Farm – in Plough Lane were approv-ed by the borough council’s development management committee last week, des-pite objections from residents, Ewhurst Parish Council and borough councillor Diane James.

Mrs Bryett sought temporary permission for a mobile home on the farm for up to three years, along with construction of a sand school on land previously used for grazing.

The council’s agricultural consultants agreed it was necessary to have someone permanently on site.

Temporary permission will enable the owner to establish her business before applying for permanent accommodation in a new building or an agricultural conversion.

Local residents signed statutory declarations that, since the early 1990s, nobody had lived on the site in connection with its previous livery use. Joanna Marshall, on behalf of objectors, claimed there was no need for anybody to live at the farm.

“A three-bedroom mobile home is excessive for one groom,” she said. “The British Horse Society does not require 24-hour supervision.” The sand school, claimed Ms Marshall, was “particularly large” and would be noisy.

Parish councillor Joanna Cadman said the authority also questioned the need for someone to live on site, that the size of the mobile home was excessive and that it would have an adverse visual impact.

She said the council would like the sand school elsewhere on the site to reduce its visual impact.

But Mrs Bryett’s agent, David Buckley, said the proposals were consistent with the Government’s ap-proved use of former agricultural land. Other opt-ions would have been to return it to agricultural use which, he said, would have been “noisy and smelly”, or to have converted the buildings into individual units.

“Mrs Bryett’s use is the pick of the alternatives,” he said, adding that the sand school was a standard size for training competition horses and on the best site.

“Sand schools are essential to the success of any professional riding establishment,” said Mr Buckley.

Cllr James, not a member of the committee, urged her colleagues to turn down the applications.

She said there were concerns over access to the farm, which is in narrow Plough Lane and is “already used as a rat run at all times of day”. She spoke about possible impact on similar businesses in the area.

However, the majority of councillors backed the recommendation of the officers, Cllr Richard Gates saying the mobile home was restricted to occupation by the owner and was for a limited period.

“It worries me there may be a sub plot, that the real objective may be to stop this livery happening,” he said, adding he hoped the business was a success.

Cllr Victor Scrivens said: “Here someone has a business idea that has a degree of viability – we should be encouraging business.”

As for the sand school, Cllr Pam Hibbert said: “If we were to turn this down, it would be ludicrous – modern livery depends on sand schools.”